Reality is rarely what it seems, and even less often what one expects. In an age of fake news, ever-changing circumstances, and a lack of security, confronting reality and the feeling of not fitting in can be overwhelming.
German Tellez is a migrant artist from Colombia and an MFA graduate of the New York Academy of Art. His artistic practice focuses on figurative drawing and painting, showcasing his love for technical sophistication and his deep interest in the human form. His talent and technical skill are unmistakable—especially in his portrayal of hands and feet.
In his latest series of paintings, Sacred Geometries, Tellez explores the unknown as a fundamental human experience. Drawing from his own life, he now delves into the experience of encountering another culture, where different social and communicative norms prevail over the familiar or expected.
Shipwreck is the title of German Tellez's first solo show at Gallery Poulsen. The exhibition presents a series of paintings that, in each of their own ways, address the feeling of being on unfamiliar ground—lost, confused, and in constant search, like a shipwrecked vessel stranded on unknown terrain.
Like so many others around the world, Tellez was exposed to American media such as cartoons, TV shows, movies, food, music, and books throughout his upbringing. Consequently, he had expectations of what life in the United States would be like when he arrived, only to find that reality did not live up to these expectations.
The figures in Tellez’s new paintings are placed in recognizable environments, surrounded by familiar objects. However, they are anguished, fractured, and frantic, with many arms reaching out in an attempt to engage and interact with the world around them. They struggle to find their place, to connect with their surroundings, and to assert their right to exist. Through this, Tellez addresses a sentiment that is more relevant now than ever before.
The exhibition explores the confusion of moving to another culture and the challenge of creating new understandings of meaning, codes, and behaviors. It also touches on the broader issue of fitting in and creating meaning in an ever-changing world. The exhibition raises the question of how one navigates an accelerating world, where technology, economics, and ideology evolve faster than one can comprehend. After all, how are we to prepare for tomorrow when it never turns out as expected?
Join us for the opening on February 22nd at 12:00 where German Tellez will be present.
